


The Reason

by run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blow Jobs, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Bottom Lance (Voltron), Boys In Love, Confessions, Episode: s07e04 The Feud!, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sexual Content, Top Keith (Voltron), Top Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me/pseuds/run_your_clever_boy_and_remember_me
Summary: “That’s not why I said that, you don’t understand…”And if that really isn’t the reason, then Lance wants some answers. “Then why, Keith? Why, out of all of us, would you choose me to leave? What other reason could you possibly have…”“Because I’m in love with you!”Lance stops.His heart stops beating. His mind stops working. His lungs stop breathing.or:After The Feud episode (S7E4), Lance is hurt because of what Keith said, so he keeps ignoring him. Keith goes to talk to Lance and ends up confessing the real reason he said that.
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 90





	The Reason

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: there's a sex scene, not very explicit, but if you don't like that kind of stuff, you can skip it. Just skip from "It's this... okay?" to "After they're cleaned up".
> 
> Happy reading, hope you like it!

Lance would be lying if he said that it didn’t hurt. 

_ “I just don’t wanna be stuck here for eternity with Lance.” _

So, yeah, maybe he’s been avoiding Keith. Maybe he’s been being short and bad tempered when they speak to each other. Because maybe it hurt more than he wants to admit. And maybe he’s being too obvious in the way he’s treating Keith. But you know what? Maybe that’s good. Maybe he wants Keith to notice. And maybe… Maybe he wants Keith to hurt a little like he did, too.

So it comes to no surprise when Lance sees the blinking light on his lion, a private incoming call from Keith.

“Hey, um… Can we talk?”

Leaving Krolia in control of Black, Keith takes Kosmo and teleports to Red. He then asks Kosmo to take Kaltenecker, so they can be alone. 

“Hi. I… Did I do something to you? ‘Cause, I don’t know, you’ve been acting kinda weird lately and…”

Lance is in no mood for this, so he interrupts Keith and goes straight to the point: “Did you mean it?”

“I... What?”

“Did you mean it? Did you mean what you said to Bob? When he asked you why you chose me to leave?”

Keith seems to be caught off guard with the question, but after a moment he says: “... Every word of it.”

And that… Wow. That leaves a bitter taste on Lance’s mouth. Because this is what he has been fearing. That he, indeed, did not misunderstand what Keith had said, that he really did mean it. And hearing his suspicions confirmed… It hurts. He manages to get out an “... I see.”

“But you don’t understand…”

The hurt in Lance’s heart quickly turns into rage, if only to prevent him from showing Keith the power he holds over him. “What? What don’t I understand, Keith? I think I understand it perfectly.”

“I really think you don’t…”

“Well, I understand that you hate me. I understand that you hate me so much that you’d rather have me leave that hellhole than to have to look at my stupid face any longer. ‘Cause that’s what I am, Keith. Stupid.”

“Lance, that’s not…”

Lance doesn’t want to hear him, so he interrupts him again. “And apparently everyone else thinks that too! Stupid Lance. Stupid for thinking that we were friends. Stupid for imagining that we were finally getting closer. Stupid for actually hoping…” He stops himself before he lets on too much. He exhales an exasperated huff. “Forget it.” 

Keith tries again: “Lance, please…”

“Well, don’t you worry, Keith. I will do my best to keep out of your way. We’ll talk only when needed, during missions. Isn’t that what you want?”

“Lance! Would you just...  _ listen! _ ” He looks heartbroken. Good. That’s how he made Lance feel. “That’s not why I said that, you don’t understand…”

And if that really isn’t the reason, then Lance wants some answers. “Then why, Keith? Why, out of  _ all _ of us, would you choose  _ me _ to leave? What other reason could you possibly have…”

“Because I’m in love with you!”

Lance stops.

His heart stops beating. His mind stops working. His lungs stop breathing.

Because in none of the scenarios he imagined during the past week, picturing how this conversation would go, what reason Keith would give him to justify what he said, Lance never imagined this. Never allowed himself to even dream it.

“There.” Keith says, snapping Lance back into reality. He notices how he curls his hands into fists at the sides of his body, nails digging into those stupid fingerless gloves he always wears. “I finally said it. Happy now?”

Lance wants desperately to say something, but his mouth doesn’t work. “I…”

Keith sighs, as if thinking  _ Well. Too late to turn back now. The truth is out. _ “You talk about your family so much... How could I not choose you? If anyone deserves to get back safe to Earth is you.” And his words sound so genuine that Lance feels a squeeze in his chest. 

As Lance doesn’t say anything, Keith goes on: “And sure, Pidge and Hunk have their families there too, and Allura, she could still do so much for the Universe in this war, but I... I couldn’t stand it if you stayed in that place. I couldn’t stand it to have to be stuck there forever, seeing you miserable everyday, knowing you wouldn’t see your family again. So I voted for you. Okay?”

But Lance is not okay. “Uh... No, dude. Not okay. What’s that part where you said that... That you...  _ Love _ me?”

Keith looks like he had actually hoped that Lance wouldn’t mention that part. “Ugh, can we just... pretend I never said that and continue to be friends? I get it that you don’t feel the same way, but just... I... I really don’t want to lose our friendship.” It hurts him to even think that. “You’re like... my best friend. So can we please forget about this whole conversation?”

But Lance is having none of that. “Um... Yeah, I don’t think I can do that.”

Keith looks devastated at that. “... Oh.” he says, voice weak. “Okay. I’ll, um... just... try to stand out of your way, then.” 

He’s already turning as if to leave, and Lance almost wants to laugh. “... You’re joking, right?”

Keith looks at him, brows furrowed, as if asking  _ why would I joke about this _ ?

“You really think that’s what I want? Did you not hear what I said when Bob asked me why I chose  _ you _ to leave?” 

_ I think he’s like… the future. _

Lance lets out a chuckle, because  _ how _ haven’t Keith noticed yet, honestly? “Gosh, who’s the stupid one now?”

Keith just looks confused. “... I don’t…”

Lance walks over and takes Keith’s hand in his.

“Keith, I’m in love with you too.”

At this, Keith looks, somehow, even more confused. It’s funny how endearing that is. Trying to form complete sentences (and failing), Keith lets out:

“Wha... But... I thought... You and Allura…”

“Well, yeah, I kinda liked her for a while, but she never really felt the same and I talked to her about it and we decided that we’re best off as just friends.”

Still struggling with words, Keith says “But... I... Since when??”

And though Lance has already tried, he hasn’t been able to pinpoint the exact moment he fell for the raven-haired boy. “I don’t really know, to be honest... I had a crush on you back at the Garrison, but…”

Keith’s eyebrows shot up at that, voice raising: “The Garrison??”

“Yeah, but I didn’t really know it back then, so I just kinda... turned it into a rivalry?” Keith deadpans as Lance grimaces. “Sorry about that, by the way, that was stupid of me. But I guess I really realized that I had fallen for you when you left for the Blades. I just…” Lance sighs “Gosh, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” Keith says, without missing a beat. “So fucking much. I hated myself for leaving, but I thought it was what was best for the team, and especially for you…”

“For me?” Lance asks.

Keith’s eyes dart away. “Yeah, well... Remember, you came to me with the ‘one paladin too many’ problem…”

“Oh, no.” Lance feels his chest tightening. “No, no, no, no.” He takes Keith’s hand to his chest. And though he knows he won’t like the answer, he asks “Please, Keith... Please don’t tell me I’m the reason you left.”

Keith bites his lip, as though all he wants is to tell Lance that  _ no, of course not. _ But he can’t. He’s never been one to lie. “... I thought that, if I stepped aside, I could help the team and you could stay in Voltron, so…”

Lance punches his arm. “You are such an idiot! Why didn’t you just come  _ talk _ to me about that?”

Keith doesn’t seem to have an answer to that, so he just looks down.

“Shit, Keith.”

“I really wished I hadn’t left, but now I don’t regret it.”

“Why?”

“Because that was the time I realized just how much I loved you. ‘Cause being away from you? It was torture. I thought about you everyday. It hurt so much. The only thing that kept me going was imagining you were happier, safer, still in Voltron.”

“Yeah, except I wasn’t. I was miserable. You can ask the others.” Lance hates to even remember those days, those weeks, those months. Being away from him was bad, but the worst part was not knowing. Not knowing if he was okay, if he was alive. If he would come back. “All I wanted was for you to be safe. For you to be alive. For you to come back. But when you did, you just kinda brushed me off, so I thought…”

“Yeah, I’m... I’m sorry about that.” Keith squeezes his hand. “I couldn’t hug you there, not at that moment, not in front of the team. Because... Well, I think that if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to let go. I probably would’ve broken down completely right then and there and... Well, we didn’t have time for that.”

“Why didn’t you come talk to me later, then?” Lance says, voice just over a whisper, brushing Keith’s hair out of his face. He didn’t notice when that happened, but they were standing so close now, he could feel Keith breathing.

“I never imagined you would like me back, and I just... didn’t want to ruin our friendship by making things awkward or making you uncomfortable.” Keith says, trying to keep his voice steady. “I was too scared to lose you too.”

And Lance can’t hold it anymore. 

“Keith…”

He lets go of Keith’s hand to hold his face instead. He kisses him, gentle and slow, just a brush of their lips, finally finding out just how soft his lips are and melting at the feel of them. He feels Keith’s hand finding his waist, holding on if only to ground himself.

Lance pulls back but doesn’t go far, keeping their foreheads touching. “You won’t ever lose me, you hear that? Ever. I’m still gonna marry you someday and we’ll grow old together. You’ll see.”

Keith lets out a chuckle. “Promise?”

Smiling besides himself, Lance says: “Promise.”

“Good. ‘Cause all I wanna do is show you. Show you just how much you are loved. I just wanna hold your hand, and hear about your day, and kiss your neck, and wake up next to you, and…”

Keith stops talking when he notices Lance staring at him, eyes wide, mouth opened. As if just now realizing what he said, he tries to fix it: “Shit, I didn’t... I didn’t mean to…”

But Lance is smiling. “No, no! It’s okay! It’s just…” He brushes a finger over Keith’s cheek. “Gonna have to get used to hearing you talk like that. And, gosh, how I want to.”

He goes in to kiss him again, this time a little more desperate, and is glad to find that Keith returns his level of enthusiasm. He licks on Keith’s bottom lip and the boy lets him in immediately. They share some open mouthed kisses, hands on hairs, hips, necks, waists, provoking little sounds from the other and swallowing them down.

Lance lets his hands trail up inside Keith’s shirt as he bites on Lance’s bottom lip. Suddenly, Keith is pulling back abruptly. Hair disheveled and out of breath, he looks so beautiful. He looks at Lance somewhat scared, trying to catch his breath, as if wanting to say something, but there’s no need for words. Lance understands him.

Keith’s look tells Lance  _ Are we doing this? Are we crossing this line? If you want to stop, we can stop now. But if we keep going, I don’t think I’ll be able to. _ Lance understands, because that is how he is feeling too. And that’s okay. Because they’re crossing that line together. Because Lance doesn’t want to stop.

So Lance gives him a smile, a small nod, and pulls him back in again by the nape of his neck, slowly and gently at first, as if to say  _ It’s okay. We’re in this together, _ before picking up the pace again.

Walking backwards, Lance guides them until his back hits the wall. He pulls on Keith’s shirt, who seems to get the message and takes it off. Lance does the same to his own. Keith stares at him for a second and it makes Lance very self conscious, realizing that he doesn’t nearly have the body muscle that Keith does, with his gorgeous chest, abs, biceps, broad shoulders…

“Gosh, you’re so beautiful.”

Keith’s lips, that are now on his neck, pull him out of that insecure place. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell you that. You are… so beautiful, Lance.” Keith says between kissing, gently biting and sucking his neck, giving him goosebumps all over.

Lance leans his head backwards, giving Keith more access, while carding his fingers through his long, soft black hair, pulling a little when Keith does something particularly amazing. Keith holds him flush against the wall, bodies pressed together.

He lets his hands explore, enjoying every dimple, every bump, every scar on Keith’s marble skin, marveling at how his muscles react under his touch. His hands trail down until they’re on Keith’s hip bones, just above the waistline of his pants. He thinks he knows the answer, but he needs to hear Keith say it:

“Is this… okay?”

Keith pulls back a little to look him in the eye, lips pink, swollen, and pulled up slightly at the corners in a smile. He nods and says “Yeah… More than okay.”

And that’s all the encouragement that Lance needs. He starts to fumble with the button of Keith’s jeans while he captures Lance’s lips once again. When his fingers wrap around his length, Keith gasps and lets out a shaky exhale, eyes tight shut, and  _ oh _ , if Lance doesn’t love to see this beautiful boy coming undone in front of him.

He starts off slow, enjoying every sound that falls out of Keith’s lips. Watching him intently, trying to memorize every expression he makes. “You have no idea how sexy you are, do you Keith?”

“Lance…”

He loves to hear how out of breath he sounds already. He picks up the pace, kissing his jaw, his neck, his collarbones. “No idea how many times I wanted to kiss you… You’re so fucking gorgeous, Keith.”

“F-fuck.... Lance!”

“Gosh, I love you. I love you, Keith. I love you so much.”

Keith comes on Lance’s hand, body going limp, head falling on Lance’s shoulder, panting on the crook of his neck. 

Lance lets him catch his breath. When Keith composes himself, he starts to go to get towels to clean them up, but Keith holds him by the wrist. “Uh-uh.” Lance raises an eyebrow questioningly, and Keith smirks, eyes lidded. “Your turn.”

Lance’s eyes go wide as Keith pulls him back against the wall, tying his hair in a ponytail and getting on his knees. “K-keith, you don’t have to…”

“Lance. I want to. Okay?” He looks up at Lance, searching for any sign of rejection, but Lance nods, biting his lip. “Yeah… Okay.”

Keith starts to undo the button of his pants while Lance dies of anticipation, trying to prepare himself for what's to come.

He fails. Miserably.

Keith pulls him out, licks him from the base to the top and kisses the tip, and when he swallows him whole, Lance realizes that he wouldn’t ever be able to prepare himself for this. Because  _ oh my god. _

Lance’s mind stops working. He doesn’t know where he is, what day it is, he probably wouldn’t remember his own name if someone asked him. He only knows feelings. The feeling of his heart, beating wildly against his ribcage. The feeling of his knees trembling. The feeling of Keith’s hands on his hips, Keith’s mouth around his dick…  _ Fuck _ .

“ _ Fuck! _ ”

Lance’s hands go to Keith’s hair, trying to ground himself back to reality. He makes an effort not to pull on his hair so hard, afraid of hurting him, but  _ coño _ is it hard. In a few moments, he’s already on the edge.

“Keith…  _ Coño _ … I’m… A-ah! I’m gonna cum… Keith… Fuck!”

Sweet release comes, and his knees can’t keep him up any longer. He slides down the wall and sits there, panting, body limp, while Keith goes get some towels.

After they’re cleaned up, Keith sits by his side.

“So… Are we, like, together, now?”

“Well, after the love confessions, the kisses, the sex, and me pratically promising to propose to you someday, I should hope so, yeah.”

Keith smiles. “Okay. Good. Just checking.”

Lance smiles too. “Hey. Hey, Keith. Keith.” he says, poking the paladin on the side.

“Uhm?”

“You’re, like, my boyfriend. We’re boyfriends now.”

“Huh.” Keith lets out a chuckle. “I guess we are.”

“Who would have guessed. ‘Keith and Lance, neck and neck’ is now ‘Keith and Lance, hand in hand’!” Lance says, flashing his hands through the air as if showing something written there. Keith laughs. Lance’s heart flutters at the thought that he’s the person that makes Keith laugh and smile the most. He wants to make him laugh every day for the rest of their lives.

“Shit, I should get back to my lion. Krolia will be thinking you killed me or something.”

“Keith, now that we’re closer, I want to confess something. I am really scared of your mom. She looks at me like she hates me or something!”

Keith laughs. “She doesn’t hate you, Lance. That’s just her face, she always looks like she wants to murder someone, don’t take it personally. Actually, I think you’re, like, her favorite.”

“What? No way.” Lance says, incredulous. 

“It’s true! Well, probably her favorite after Shiro, but still…” says Keith getting up.

“But I haven’t even, like, had a proper conversation with her yet. Why would she even like me?”

“Well… I kinda told her about you and the rest of the team during our time in the Quantum Abyss. So, even though she never really told me, I feel like she really likes Shiro for, like, practically adopting me, and you, for like… always being there for me.”

And Lance has no response for that. All this time, thinking Keith hated him or something, and he was actually in love with him. So much as to tell his mom about what a good friend he is, when he himself thought of himself like a pretty crappy friend, all with that rivalry shit and so.

He doesn’t deserve this boy.

Lance gets up (with a lot of protest from his knees, that are still wobbly), grabs Keith’s face in both his hands and kisses him.

“I love you. So much.”

“I love you too, Lance”

Keith gets back to his Lion and returns Kaltenecker, and Lance spends the rest of the trip thinking that he has never been this happy.


End file.
